The risk of diagnostic radiation of the newborn.

The amount of diagnostic radiation received by neonates at a large maternity hospital in 1982 was calculated. The risk of inducing neoplasia is unlikely to be greater than one in 280,000 for each radiograph of chest or abdomen. Provided that the exposure of the newborn to radiation at the John Radcliffe Hospital is typical of the rest of the country, and excluding cardiac catheterisation and computed tomography, we estimate that at most one to two cases of malignant disease per year may be caused by diagnostic radiation in the United Kingdom. Genetic risks appear to be negligible. The risks of not using radiography in newborn patients outweigh the risks of inducing malignant or genetic disease.